Citi Bahrain has celebrated the first anniversary of its Global Technology Hub, 
which is on track to employ 1000 Bahraini coders over ten years. Currently, the 
hub comprises of 110 Bahraini employees, out of which 91 Bahrainis have started 
at the Citi Seef premises, with 19 additional hires set to join soon. Female 
participants at the Hub make up 22% of the total Bahrainis, outperforming the 
average of females in other Citi tech hubs around the world.

When selecting a country for its Global Technology Hub, Citi conducted a 
rigorous technical coding test and interview process, with Bahraini talent 
showing the highest pass rate when compared to other regions. Even more 
encouraging was the level of female talent in Bahrain's candidate pool, as 
Bahrain ranks first globally in multiple subindices according to Meta's 
Inclusive Internet Index (2022), including female digital skills training and 
STEM education, open data policies, and privacy regulations.

Commenting on the anniversary and the contribution of female participants in 
the hub, HH Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Member of the Supreme 
Council for Women and Chairwoman of the Bahrain Women in Fintech Committee, 
said: "We are pleased to see Citi's achievements a year after the Hub's launch. 
Such initiatives contribute positively to achieving the goals of the Women in 
Fintech Committee working under the National Plan for the Advancement of 
Bahraini Women, and the National Gender Balance in Future Sciences Initiative, 
in line with the directions of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 as well as the 
Kingdom's digital transformation initiatives. It makes us proud to see Bahraini 
women directly contributing to the operations and growth of Citi's Global Tech 
Hub."

Furthermore, commenting on the occasion, HE the Governor of the Central Bank of 
Bahrain, Mr. Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj, said: "The Financial services sector 
has progressed over the last decade, and we expect more changes in the coming 
years as the pace of digitisation increases. We are proud to see Bahraini 
talents and competencies benefiting and contributing in developing global 
centres affiliated with reputable financial institutions in order to promote 
digital solutions in the financial sector".

According to Citi Bahrain's CEO, Michel Sawaya, Citi has witnessed great 
results since the launch. "The coders had a big impact on developing our 
digital platforms, such as Citi Velocity and CitiFX Pulse. Their positive 
contribution helped implement important features, and subsequently take part of 
bigger projects that have helped us serve Citi clients globally" he said.

Citi launched its Global Tech Hub last year as part of a strategic partnership 
between Tamkeen, Bahrain's labour fund, and the Bahrain Economic Development 
Board (EDB), the Kingdom's investment promotion agency. A first in the region, 
the Hub aims to develop and improve digital solutions for Citi's regional and 
global clients while creating 1000 tech jobs for Bahrainis over ten years.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1981419/CITI_Tech_Hub_Group.jpg

Source: Bahrain EDB